On August 17, the Michigan Prisoner ReEntry Initiative (MPRI) of Wayne County announced the release of an RFP to provide Transitional Jobs Programs for former prisoners returning to Wayne County. MPRI is a cooperative effort of the Michigan Department of Corrections, Michigan Department of Community Health, Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Growth, Michigan Department of Education, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, the Governor's Office, and community stakeholders. Its primary goal is to promote public safety and to increase the success rates of former prisoners by fostering effective risk management and treatment programming, accountability, and community and victim participation. NTJN will be providing Technical Assistance for grantees under this new TJ Initiative. The deadline to submit proposals is September 28.

Click here read the complete RFP.

The Detroit Free Press featured an online article on Detroit’s Goodwill Transitional Jobs Program—Flip the Script. The article includes first person testimonials from former participants who have successfully transitioned into the workforce, making the case that TJ not only prepares the individual for employment but also instills a sense of self-respect and purpose, which can benefit the community as a whole.

Click here to read the article.

An article in The News Journal discusses the status of Delaware’s prison population and the reentry programs currently in place to aid ex-offenders as they adjust to life after incarceration. The article highlights the Second Chance Act of 2007 and makes the case that increased funding for reentry services helps reduce recidivism and is a more cost effective solution in the long run. The article maintains that reentry services must be comprehensive in order to be effective and they must include employment training, housing, education, substance abuse treatment and mental health services, and must be continually evaluated to ensure effectiveness.

Click here to read this article.

A Honey of an Opportunity

On July 18th, CBS News featured a story on Sweet Beginnings, LLC, a Chicago-based social enterprise owned by the North Lawndale Employment Network. Through the manufacturing and sale of its beeline® brand of honey-based personal care products and all natural honey, Sweet Beginnings operates a Transitional Jobs program providing men and women re-entering the community from prison with viable opportunities to establish a work history, learn productive work habits, and gain marketable skills as a stepping stone to further employment and career advancement.

Click here to watch the CBS story or visit Sweet Beginnings to learn more about their TJ program.

TJ Highlighted as a Solution to Urban Poverty

At the National Urban League Conference in St. Louis, Transitional Jobs was highlighted by Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) as part of his domestic strategy “to lift up urban America.” Senator Obama called for a $1billion investment to develop new Transitional Jobs programs to help the unemployed, including people with criminal records, enter the workforce. Also speaking at the conference, Democratic Presidential Candidates Senator Hillary Clinton, Former Senator John Edwards, and Congressmen Dennis Kucinich outlined their domestic platforms.

Ending poverty in urban and rural America has been pushed to the forefront in recent weeks as the leading Democratic candidates debate their domestic agendas and workforce strategies. To read more about the candidates’ platforms and for more coverage of this event, click here.

Employment and Entrepreneurship through Transitional Jobs

An article in the latest edition of Planning and Action, the Journal of the Center for Community Solutions, featured the Northeast Ohio Transitional Jobs Task Force, who, with the support of the Joyce Foundation, is working to expand the adoption and use of the Transitional Jobs strategy as a workforce development tool across the region. The article specifically discusses how the social enterprise component of TJ can be expanded to support the development of micro-enterprises for the chronically unemployed.

Do you have articles, broadcasts, or media attention you want featured in “TJ in the News”? If so, contact the NTJN at ntjn@heartlandalliance.org.

Recent Developments: The Responsible Fatherhood and Healthy Families Act of 2007 (S. 1626; H.R. 3395) was introduced in the House of Representatives by Danny Davis (D-IL) on August 3, and was referred to the following House committees for review: Ways and Means, Education and Labor, Agriculture, and Energy and Commerce. In the Senate, this bill remains in the Committee on Finance, where it was referred on June 14.

Key Provisions: The bill includes demonstration grants for the development of Transitional Jobs programs for youth, persons with criminal records, and persons experiencing homelessness. This is a critical piece of legislation for the continued development of TJ programs for hard-to-employ populations across the country.

Click here to learn how you can advocate on behalf of the Responsible Fatherhood Act.

Green Jobs Act
The Green Jobs Act of 2007 amends the Workforce Investment Act to train more workers to support the country’s developing green economy. This legislation would establish the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Worker Training Program within the Workforce Investment Act.

Funding Opportunity: Minnesota Announces $5.4 Million for Supported Work

As part of the recently enacted Health and Human Services Omnibus bill, the Minnesota Family Investment Program will receive $5,468,000 for State Fiscal Year 2008 to be allocated for supported work activities. “Supported work” means a subsidized or unsubsidized work experience placement with a public or private sector employer, which may include services such as individualized supervision and job coaching to support the participant on the job.
This allocation of resources illustrates how state TANF funds can be used to support Transitional Jobs programs.

Click here to learn more about this funding stream.

See the following interview with Jan Mueller, Director of New Workforce Program Development at Lifetrack Resources.

The Road to funding TJ through TANF

In an effort to provide our readers with more information on how they might replicate Minnesota’s use of TANF funds to support Transitional Jobs Programs in their state, the NTJN interviewed Jan Mueller, Director of New Workforce Program Development at Lifetrack Resources in St. Paul, MN. Lifetrack Resources provides a variety of employment services for hard to serve populations, including the administration of Advancement Plus, a paid work experience program helping families make the transition from welfare to work. Ms. Mueller played a pivotal role along with other key advocates in getting “supported work” language included in Minnesota’s Health and Human Services Omnibus bill, and she offers tips for other organizations to help build support for TJ in their own states.

NTJN asked: How did you build support and generate interest for Transitional Jobs to be included in this piece of legislation?

Work began in 2001 for legislation that was just passed in Spring 2007. It takes a long time to build momentum, and it is important that programs and organizations do not give up even if they are initially rejected. It was a long process of continuing to layer information and educate our legislators. We continued to meet each year with state legislators in order to stay on their radar so they did not forget about us. This was much less about new money and much more about building relationships, both with other advocacy organizations, and with legislators. Affirmative Options, a lead advocacy organization in Minnesota played a lead role in achieving success. It can take a long time for education and advocacy efforts to pay off, and it is essential that programs and advocates never give up.

NTJN asked: What specific language did you use to frame your argument or build your case for TJ?

In Minnesota, the terminology of supported work had been around longer than the term Transitional Jobs, even though the two terms refer to the same strategy. The bill is known as “supported work,” but TJ language is throughout the text of the legislation. You must first start with terminology people use and then work to educate them. In Minnesota people are familiar with the term, supported work, so that is the term that we used.

NTJN asked: What key relationships did you build within the state?

In Minnesota, Senator Linda Berglin became a key supporter of our advocacy efforts and introduced the supported work legislation. Even though Senator Berglin was an advocate for TANF individuals and favorable to the program model, it still took a long time to foster the relationship. We also continued to meet with other legislators knowing that once Senator Berglin introduced the legislation she would need to build support for it among her colleagues in order for it to pass. It is important to identify key champions, regardless of political affiliations, and educate them on the benefits of the strategy. It is also important to talk with other advocates and build relationships with other organizations in order to build momentum. Get the strategy on their wish list in order to build broader support. The more advocates and programs you can bring to the table the better.

NTJN asked: What facts did you use to build your case that TJ works?

To build the case for TJ, we cited program outcomes and evaluations. We played the numbers game. We also took program success stories with us to testify before the legislators about the benefits of the TJ model. It is important to remember whom you are talking to and to be able to shift your strategy accordingly. You have to be able to think on your feet because the same approach will not always work with different audiences.

NTJN asked: Did you look at any other state programs when drafting this legislation to see how they were using TANF funds?

We looked at a variety of programs throughout the U.S., but particularly focused on Washington’s Community Jobs program because we were really interested in developing a statewide initiative for TJ. We also wanted the legislation to reflect best practices in the field. Although the bill does not use that specific term, it includes all the elements a program would want to consider in a best practice program—outreach and recruitment, program orientation and intake, testing and assessment, job development and marketing, pre-worksite training, supported worksite experience, job coaching, post placement follow-up, and extensive case management and referral services.

For more information, please contact Jan Mueller at

Lifetrack Resources
St. Paul, Minnesota
651-265-2321
janm@lifetrackresources.org

Click here to learn more about Lifetrack Resources.

Click here to learn more about Washington State’s Community Jobs Program.

Good Read: State Strategies for Improving the Employment Outcomes of TANF and Low-Income Families

This issue brief released by the National Governor's Association is an excellent resource on specific state policies implemented to improve employment outcomes for TANF families. The Transitional Jobs model is cited as one of the successful strategies, helping TANF recipients to acquire knowledge and develop critical work experience through subsidized employment. Georgia’s GoodWorks! Program and Washington’s Community Jobs Program are highlighted as examples of innovate state strategies that have proven successful.

Click here to read this issue brief and to learn how your state can create opportunities to help TANF clients advance in the labor market.

Good Read: TANF Policies for the Hard to Employ: Understanding State Approaches and Future Directions

This study released by Urban Institute examines state TANF programs and specific strategies used to increase employment among parents with multiple barriers to work. It summarizes states’ approaches to serving this population in fall 2006 and highlights changes states anticipate making to meet the increased work requirements mandated by TANF’s reauthorization in the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005. Transitional Jobs programs are cited by a number of states in this study as one solution to moving individuals with multiple barriers into the workforce.

Click here to read this study.

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